UNDP Syria

The first UNGC Advisory Council was formulated and held its founders’ meeting in October 15th 2008, with the participation of leaders from the Syrian private sector, international corporate representatives, local and international civil society organizations, UNDP, the Syrian Government, media and education sectors.

The Council term is three years, convenes twice a year and holds the following responsibilities:

• Overall endorsement and guidance on the implementation of the UN Global Compact ten principles
• Representing the UN Global Compact Network in domestic and global forums.
• Lobbying, advocacy and resource mobilization for development projects design, formulation and implementation within the UN Global Compact framework

“It’s a good network, We will still do our own work too, but this way we are also working with a group of other businesses with whom we can share knowledge about both business and development practices.” Firas Tlass, CEO of MAS Economic Group.

Bassel Hamwi, General Manager and Deputy Chairman of Bank Audi Syria has a positive outlook. “It is still early days, but we wouldn’t have joined if we thought it wasn’t a good project for the country. We hope people will realise they can make a difference to their country and see tangible results in the near future.”
“It will take time to build the Global Compact in Syria because we are building a culture,” says Agha. “But we are pleased with the first year.”